Starsailor, Embrace give the Roxy Theatre audience a double dose of signature British uplift

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Northern English rock bands Starsailor and Embrace performed on a double bill at the Roxy Theatre on Tuesday night after the show was moved from its original spot at the Fonda. The audience was equal parts Starsailor and Embrace devotees, and although neither band has enjoyed volumes of press or extensive radio play in the last decade, their fan base, largely comprised of excitable English ex-pats, remains loyal.

||| Photos by Michelle Shiers

It has been 17 years since Embrace’s debut album “The Good Will Out” and 14 years since Starsailor’s debut album “Love Is Here.” Both bands experienced critical acclaim in the early 2000s during the surge of melodic Britpop and both experienced a lull and hiatus after that storm was commandeered by Coldplay. Nevertheless, Starsailor and Embrace continued releasing records of well-rounded convention and emotive depth. Starsailor’s fourth studio album “All The Plans” was released in 2009, and Embrace’s sixth (self-titled) was released in 2014.

Starsailor satiated the crowd with old favorites such as “Poor Misguided Fool” “Alcoholic” and dance-along “Four To The Floor,” but also surprised with new song “Give Up The Ghost.” James Walsh’s distinct vocals paired with Starsailor’s cinematic expanse gave the audience an hour-long set of their signature melancholia. There were bass issues throughout the first half of the set and while that was being sorted, Walsh went off the set-list with “Born Again” — partially a capella as he tuned his guitar. Then the band shifted from “Tell Me It’s Not Over” into a few bars of MGMT’s “Kids,” which perfectly lent itself to Walsh’s emotional vibrato. Audience members yelled out colloquialisms and tried to strike up conversation about Northern England-specific spots. Once football-related phrases started being thrown around, Walsh had to remind everyone to play nice. A few patrons were disappointed they didn’t perform any tracks from their 2005 release “On The Outside,” but everyone ended up satisfied once they closed their set with the ever-rising “Silence Is Easy” and “Good Souls.”

Embrace are also no strangers to soaring melodies as they began their set with slow-burner “Protection” from their 2014 self-titled release. The band still retains an emotional charm that is weighty enough to make their fans teary-eyed, but this particular crowd, with its pockets of rowdy Englishmen, was more ready to pump fists. Singer Danny McNamara whistled through his fingers festival-style making the crowd cheer along. Long-time fans enjoyed “Come Back To What You Know” from their debut. McNamara was never quite satisfied with the energy, or lack thereof, as he bounced around trying to lead by example. One mouthy audience member prompted McNamara to say “I’ve got balls of iron, sir. I’ve been doing this for 25 years!” The greatest responses came from the textbook ba-ba-along Britpop rocker “One Big Family” and the dub-step tinged “Quarters.” They closed with “Ashes” from 2004’s “Out Of Nothing” with the uplifting lyrics ““Now watch me rise up and leave/ All the ashes you made out of me / When you said that we were wrong / Life goes on, you blew me away”.

Despite the loss of momentum for both bands over the years, even with Starsailor’s 2007 tour with the Rolling Stones, and Embrace’s 2006 World Cup Anthem, they are nothing if not seasoned and dependable. Their styles remain strong as they continue to perform arena-sized ballads of beefy melody best appreciated in more intimate rooms.